Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Charlotte -- or Mount Holly, to be precise -- will get its 15 minutes in the spotlight tomorrow when President Obama comes to town. Obama will speak about the economy at the Daimler Trucks North America plant in the Gaston County town. The plant announced recently it would be hiring back some workers who had earlier been laid off.

Obama will use the plant to argue that his administration has been creating jobs. It might be a tough sell in Gaston County, where the unemployment rate was 10.9 percent in December.

The president's appearance underscores the importance of North Carolina to his reelection hopes. Obama won the state by just 14,000 votes in 2008, and the state is considered a toss-up again. Expect Obama to make a number of campaign appearances in North Carolina before and after he is renominated at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte in September.

The Republican Party couldn't let Obama go unchallenged in his appearance here Wednesday. The GOP sent the Observer an op-ed to coincide with the president's trip. In it, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus argues that the economy is worse on almost every measure because of Obama.

Among other things, Priebus says, Obama has driven up the national debt. "That debt threatens government solvency, our children’s future, and our economic stability," Priebus writes. "Yet President Obama, despite his promises to cut the deficit in half, has made the problem worse."

Funny how the GOP only discovered that deficits were bad about, oh, one minute after Obama won the election. Up until that time, the official GOP position on deficits was, as conservative icon and VP Dick Cheney once put it: "deficits don't matter". It sure didn't when 2 unnecessary wars and an ill-advised tax cut were creating them.

And Priebus says the economy is worse on every measure is because of Obama is ridiculous. The crash happened on Bush's watch because of Republican policies that removed oversight and regulation that protected the country from damaging boom/bust cycles for over 60 years. And we've been in a recovery, albeit a slow one, for a year and a half now, something no Republican dares acknowledge.

As to whether Obama's policies have made the problem worse, Priebus doesn't mention that the President has said all along that it will take many years to dig ourselves out of this hole. He never promised an overnight recovery.

I supppose if Priebus commented on the weather, he might have been right about something.

"In it, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus argues that the economy is worse on almost every measure because of Obama."....So we are still losing 700,000 jobs a Month like when Obama took Office?

The GOP chickens can't even wait until Obama actually show up here, they start their clucking a day in advance. All in an attempt to blame everything on Obama while painting over the mistakes made during the Bush dynasty.

The GOP used to stand for something, but they've become a caricature of themselves now. Nothing more than a cartoon, but a cartoon that even your kids wouldn't want to watch. I'd feel sorry for them except for the fact that they've become so stupid, they've brought it all on themselves.

What a surprise. The Republicans continuing their war against President Obama. In case you haven't been paying attention, the Republicans began slandering President Obama on a daily basis immediately after the election. Who cares what they say?

Deficits didn't matter before Obama took office because they were at manageable levels. This current guy Obama has run up more deficits that all previous administrations combined. In fact, when he took office, he pledged to cut the deficit in half to about 3 Trillion, instead, if he gets a 2nd term, CBO projections are the budget deficit will be 15 Trillion by the end of his second term. Crippling debt that will leave us in a very dangerous and weak position globally.

Anon 2:08 - While I'm thrilled you find my latest post acceptably intelligent, I'd appreciate it if you'd refrain from any more personal attacks. Nobody really wants to read what you think of me or my postings, including me. And you, why you're anonymous. As for me, I'm just trying to provide some much needed perspective here and elsewhere when it appears necessary.

Anon 2:05 - Not true. Two thirds of the current deficit was already on the books when Obama took office.

The Affordable Health Care Act will ultimately begin to reduce the currently unchecked growth of medical care when most of its provisions begin to kick in--in 2014.

As for the Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which is the GOP's favorite whipping boy, it was emasculated by the Republicans and wasn't able to provide the economic kick in the pants it was supposed to. However, most economists agree that it saved or created 3 million jobs and kept the country from spiraling into another Great Depression. For that reason alone, it was worth every penny.

Kenyan born pagan muslim worst ever Obama has had his 15 minutes and its coming to an end in 10 months none too soon leaving red ink mess 100 times worse than Bush no small feat. Dont whine about the inherited economy. Own up like a real man. Noone put a gun to your head to run. Its yours.

Give Romney a shot since his entire life has been centered around new business ventures and creating jobs. He is not a spoiled brat silver spoon like Dubya or a radical activist peasant like Obama.

Bottom line is what is best for America as a whole? Romney will not legalize illegals and is anti-China wanting to bring millions of jobs back and remove regulations on business growth and get gas prices down.

Get govt out of the private sector and drill like hell anywhere for new oil. Competition is what drives down prices.

Gas wars needed. Get gas down to 50cents a gallon and ban gas taxes. Legalize and control drugs like alcohol and tax them to replace the gas revenue and abolish the IRS.

Keep abortion legal and monitor PP better. All liberal scum out of business soon and same sex marriage outlawed permanently.

Who the hell is Patty McCrary?

Republicans will pass laws requiring all able bodies criminal loafer scoundrel useless vagrants who dont work to be jailed and work for the state on the chain gang.

If Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus wants to tell the truth, it will will simply utter two words, "we lie."Then he should say that our job from Day 1 under the watchful eye of our god Russ Limbaugh has been to do everything we can to make sure that President Obama fails. Well here's a newsflash. It is the GOP that has failed. President Obama gets my vote and the vote of every objective-minded North Carolinian that can vote in November 2012. When that happens, the GOP knows it can't beat President Obama in NC and this country as a whole. I guess that explains the GOP's motivation for their stealth campaign in voter suppression.

Shortly after his inauguration, when Mr. Obama pledged he would cut the budget deficit in half by the end of his term? Have his priorities changed? Not really.

The president and his allies in Congress have never been serious about meaningful cuts in federal spending. Like many politicians, their primary concern is re-election.

Though absolutely necessary, spending cuts and entitlement program reforms are difficult and therefore jeopardize votes. So President Obama and Democrat leadership are talking the talk while putting off economic solutions until some undetermined time in the future.

It's the same old game. Washington, D.C., elites take the stage and make campaign-style speeches with platitudes about fiscal responsibility, economic recovery, and jobs for teachers and firefighters.

These words are cover for the true objective: job security for incumbent politicians.

As far as President Obama is concerned, power is fortified by a welfare state full of indentured voting blocks. Taxpaying Americans end up holding the dirty end of the stick.

The U.S. national debt has surpassed $15.4 trillion. That's over $136,000 per taxpayer. Yet, the Obama budget comprises unfunded entitlements, endless deficits with undefined payment terms, and immense tax increases on the entrepreneurial class.

President Obama claims his administration is making “very difficult choices.” He proclaimed, “Every department will feel the impact of these reductions as they cut programs or tighten their belts.” We are told his plan will cut the deficit by $4 trillion over the next decade. Yeah, right!

Did you know that $2 trillion of the president's claimed deficit reduction measures were already enacted into law under the Budget Control Act of 2011? They can't be counted again in fiscal year 2013. Besides, Mr. Obama is not even responsible for these measures. Tea Party Republicans forced those spending cuts on the president last year as conditions to approve the debt ceiling increase he wanted.

Another $1 trillion of Mr. Obama's so-called savings comes from winding down the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But these funds were never requested or authorized. It's like a minimum wage worker declaring, “I'm not going to buy a Lamborghini next year, so I'm cutting spending by $400,000.”

Can President Obama and his cohorts get away with a budget farce instead of fixes? It depends on whether the White House can convince lower and middle class voters that it's all for them. Thus, the extensions of payroll tax breaks and unemployment insurance. These could provide an economic boost that lasts until Election Day.

More importantly, the budget proposal is a collection of $1.9 trillion in new taxes on “the rich.” One tenet is that the Bush tax cuts should expire at the end of 2012. That would result in a 13 percent increase in income taxes paid by households making more than $250,000. Additionally, capital gains taxes would rise from 15 to 20 percent. Estate taxes (i.e., death taxes) will increase from 35 to 45 percent.

President Obama's budget for fiscal year 2013 demonstrates a lack of interest in fiscal responsibility. Worse, it promotes the false premise that America can regain financial footing without cutting dependency on the welfare state. Growing reliance on government for everything from medical care to mortgage bailouts is pushing our nation to the brink of bankruptcy.

American voters must stop re-electing self-serving politicians, starting with President Obama, who simply voice support for budgetary prudence and reform while racking up debt with abandon. Government has run out of “other people's money.” That means the Obama budget is another big bill to be paid by our future generations.

Obama will go down in history with the same level of acclaim as Warren G. Harding and Jimmy Carter. He's done his best to socialize anything he can in this country, demoralize working families and destroy capitalism. Fortunately we are not Greece...yet. 4 years too many, move on El Socialisto...

Who is the genius that says we're going to h*ll for criticizing O-Bum-uh but is calling Bush, Santorum, Limbaugh and the Tea Party demons? I didn't know Maxine Waters frequented the Disturber's editorial boards! Word to your mother Maxine!! Woof Woof!

To the fool at 3:33. I am a genius compared to you, and I said they are devils. Get your facts straight. All these lies about President Obama won't make any difference, except for your spot in hell. You won't be barking like that when your soul is on fire.

Ah, you've got to love these wacko Dems that claim Republicans are evil and going to hell!

Which party has the blood of millions of babies on it's hands? Not mine! Which party wants people's individual liberties to be replaced by reliance on the state? Not mine! Which party persecutes established religious institutions so easy girls can be promiscuous unencumbered? Not mine, thank God!

Anonymous is obviously stupid. Might possibly be a democrat. Can't tell, but may even be female, or something similar. Going down I-85S,huh? What are you driving? I can wait for you on the overpass. With a brick.

Who cares? I'm tired of having no hope, Obama's change, his healthcare mandate, his awful handling of foreign affairs and defense and his Socialism. He has ripped this country apart and it's time for us to put it back together!

Wish he'd not been invited to speak but I hope he's chased out of town as fast as possible! I don't want him here!

The President’s media apologists are attempting to carry water for Obama and shift the blame for the budget mess squarely at the feet of President George W. Bush. Specifically, they argue that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the tax cuts of 2001 and 2003, and the recession are all to blame for today’s deficits. It’s an argument we heard before from Obama since the days of his campaign, and it’s an argument that is as flawed today as it was then. One simple number explains it well: the budget deficit figure in 2007, the last Bush year prior to the recession. The tax cuts were in full effect, both wars were raging, and the recession had not yet struck, yet the budget deficit in 2007 was $160 billion, or about a tenth of Obama’s deficit this year.

Then there’s the President’s stimulus spending binge, which made matters worse. The policy was rooted in the false premise—recited by The New York Times—that government spending can propel the economy out of a recession. Well, it hasn’t. The economy is stuck in slow, and the hundreds of billions of stimulus dollars have only added to today’s debt and deficits.

So much for the past. Looking forward, America’s fiscal woes aren’t due to wars, recessions, or tax cuts. The root of America’s fiscal woes is entitlement spending.

the president said in 2008 if I don't improve the economy and make it better then I don't deserve to be re-elected in 2012. Well when he took over we had a triple A credit rating now it's down to a AA rating and there's record foreclosures, people out of work, gas near 4.00 a gallon and in some states it's already over that and this man thinks he deserves to be re-elected I don't think so. Get a life obama and get out of mine.

Yea it def gonna be hot as hell down there where all the libs will be headed to roast when they croak. They all better enjoy the good times up here while they can. Burning in an infinite large eternal lake of fire with Satan laughing like hell is where all your unrepenant hookers, homos, lezbos, creeps, weirdos, killers, punks, democrackheads, screwballs, pagans, scammers, beastalitists, muslims, sports writers and general media will be staying for the next couple trillion yrs with no water or soda. Gonna hurt bad. Lib scum in big troub.

MODERATOR - The comments made under my username at 3:27 and 4:35 were made by someone else, not me. Besides being comprised of make-believe facts and false conclusions, they look like they were cut and pasted from some right-wing propaganda site. Only a coward afraid of honest dialog and devoid of ethics would stoop to something like this.

Will you please remove them, and stop any further abuse of my username? Thank you.

Go home obama (wherever that is) we don't want you here! You're a poor excuse for a president. You could care less about the voters all you want is the all mighty vote. You spend money like it's water money we don't have our children/grandchildren will be paying off your greed! You buy green companies that are bankrupt and laying off employees and then there's Fast & Furious, illegal immigrants given amnesty including your family members! there's no end to your arrogance! Go away!

What is the need to make remarks like "you will burn on the lake of fire"? Make your point, but don't imply violence of damnation. You just discredit yourself by doing so. Are you going to create a republican voodoo doll and poke it with pins next?

About this blog

The Observer's editorial board cares deeply about Charlotte and the Carolinas, and has a problem with public officials who have forgotten that they report to citizens. Editorial page editor Taylor Batten and associate editors Peter St. Onge and Eric Frazier tackle politics and public policy issues locally, across the state and nation. Kevin Siers tackles those issues too in cartoons. Read their columns and biographical information on the CharlotteObserver.com Opinion page.